Moving walkway and escalator installations are used virtually exclusively in the public domain, particularly in the realm of public traffic, for example in railway stations, underground railway stations, in warehouses, shopping centres as well as in larger hotels. They usually comprise a plate belt or step belt which is movable in the longitudinal direction thereof and stationary lateral balustrades, which frequently consist of metal plates (sheet-metal plates), these being fastened to balustrade uprights. Arranged above each balustrade is a handrail moving with the plate belt or step belt.
In order to increase comfort for users and to avoid accidents it is important that good lighting conditions prevail in the region of the moving walkway and escalator installations. For this purpose, newer moving walkway and escalator installations generally have their own lighting systems.
Known lighting systems for moving walkway and escalator installations are so designed that only certain regions of the moving walkway or escalator installations are illuminated. These regions are disposed between the balustrades, which usually consist of metal plates (sheet-metal plates). What may be lit, for example, is usually an upper region with the handrail, a lower region in which the balustrades and the plate belt or step belt meet, or those regions in which the moving walkway or escalator installations are entered or left. However, moving walkway and escalator installations cannot be lit by such lighting systems in a manner that a high level of use comfort and safe accident prevention are achieved.
In order to better illuminate the space between the balustrades there have also been produced balustrades, the inner panelling—which faces the plate belt or step belt—of which has interruptions. Lighting bodies can be arranged in the interruptions or behind the inner panelling. A somewhat better illumination of the space between the balustrades can indeed be achieved by such a lighting system, but the inner panelling of the balustrade is not stable due to the interruptions formed therein or, in order to have a sufficient stability notwithstanding the interruptions, it has to be constructed to be very solid. Moreover, balustrades with interruptions are exposed to vandalism. A further disadvantage resides in the fact that the lighting system has to be mounted very precisely, whereby the mounting and, in a given case, the replacement of defective lighting bodies, are expensive. Furthermore, cleaning of the inner panelling of the balustrade is complicated or inconvenient due to the interruptions.
It is thus the object of the invention to provide a lighting system for moving walkway and escalator installations as well as a well-lit moving walkway or escalator installation in which the disadvantages of conventional lighting systems are avoided. In particular, the new lighting system allows particularly good illumination of the space between the balustrades and is able to be realised by a light, but nevertheless rigid inner panelling of the balustrades. In such a case, a novel optical effect can be achieved which not only has an aesthetic appeal, but due to the uninterrupted and continuous lit area also increases safety on the moving escalator. The new lighting system is able to be easily cleaned and is as secure against vandalism as possible. Moreover, assembly and maintenance is able to be managed in simple manner.